Royals gave Burlington baseball fans a special summer

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Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 02:23 PM.

Thanks Royals, for the first great baseball season in Burlington in 19 years! In spite of the 12th inning loss of the championship game, it has been a great season. Too many home runs to count by Leonard, Threlkeld, and Starling — even the first professional home run by Gore. Many “walk off” wins and a few lopsided loses. Three all-star players and an all-star manager. But some of the best moments for me came off the field, including:

Getting to meet the parents, the girlfriends, and other relatives of the players; the fans and bus drivers of the other teams; the wife of an opposing manager; and even the girlfriend of one of the umpires.

Also, getting to know many other fans, including an elementary school boy who had been befriended by at least two of the players. Because the little boy had only one leg, he challenged Gore (our fastest runner) to a one-legged race. Gore watched him hop on one leg and wisely realized he (Gore) probably could not have beaten him.

In addition, getting to know the front office staff, the interns, the beer ladies and gentlemen, the hot dog sellers, the cashiers, the other fans, the Green Acres Lady, and the most famous person in the stadium, Bingo, a young high school girl.

During a luncheon for the team, one of the players suddenly stopped eating and starting doing push ups between the tables. A few minutes later a second player hit the floor and started doing push ups. It seems they had both said a forbidden word and they were paying the price imposed by their teammates.

After picking up a new pitcher at the RDU airport in the late afternoon, he told me he left Arizona at 3:15 a.m. that morning. I jokingly told him he was to pitch that night. Guess what? He did pitch in the ninth inning and did not allow a run. He asked me to stop at a McDonald’s so he could order off the dollar menu. He looked relieved when I told him he did not have to order off the dollar menu; I would buy his lunch. He had almost finished the first double Big Mac before we even cleared the parking lot.

As the team bus left Sunday morning for the final games of the championship, a fellow fan remarked “They can always put on their resumes that they played professional baseball.” They can also say they brought great baseball to the city of Burlington in 2012.

Thanks Royals, for the first great baseball season in Burlington in 19 years! In spite of the 12th inning loss of the championship game, it has been a great season. Too many home runs to count by Leonard, Threlkeld, and Starling — even the first professional home run by Gore. Many “walk off” wins and a few lopsided loses. Three all-star players and an all-star manager. But some of the best moments for me came off the field, including:

Getting to meet the parents, the girlfriends, and other relatives of the players; the fans and bus drivers of the other teams; the wife of an opposing manager; and even the girlfriend of one of the umpires.

Also, getting to know many other fans, including an elementary school boy who had been befriended by at least two of the players. Because the little boy had only one leg, he challenged Gore (our fastest runner) to a one-legged race. Gore watched him hop on one leg and wisely realized he (Gore) probably could not have beaten him.

In addition, getting to know the front office staff, the interns, the beer ladies and gentlemen, the hot dog sellers, the cashiers, the other fans, the Green Acres Lady, and the most famous person in the stadium, Bingo, a young high school girl.

During a luncheon for the team, one of the players suddenly stopped eating and starting doing push ups between the tables. A few minutes later a second player hit the floor and started doing push ups. It seems they had both said a forbidden word and they were paying the price imposed by their teammates.

After picking up a new pitcher at the RDU airport in the late afternoon, he told me he left Arizona at 3:15 a.m. that morning. I jokingly told him he was to pitch that night. Guess what? He did pitch in the ninth inning and did not allow a run. He asked me to stop at a McDonald’s so he could order off the dollar menu. He looked relieved when I told him he did not have to order off the dollar menu; I would buy his lunch. He had almost finished the first double Big Mac before we even cleared the parking lot.

As the team bus left Sunday morning for the final games of the championship, a fellow fan remarked “They can always put on their resumes that they played professional baseball.” They can also say they brought great baseball to the city of Burlington in 2012.